5 & 5: Type 1

This weekend we will be celebrating her diaversary (8.27.2013).  What is a diaversary do you say? It’s the day one was diagnosed with type 1 and lives as we know it change with no turning back.  It acknowledges all the hard work and effort that goes into caring for this diagnosis and how it impacts everything that we do yet doesn’t stop us from doing things.  It celebrates being a “diabadass” even though we didn’t choose or deserve this fate.  

So for this 5 & 5 (pros & cons) I bring you the topic of having TYPE 1 Diabetes.

We’ll start with the cons so we can get through them quickly and not dwell on them.

5 Cons to Type 1

1. Always

Type 1 is 24/7.  No breaks.  No holidays.  No relief.  It is constant.  Everyday.  All day.  It’s not just about what you eat, energy, stress, weather, altitude, exercise all can impact management.  You could do the same thing everyday and get different results.  You can’t ignore it.  It rules your day, everyday.

2. Constant Worry

Just as mentioned above, there are so many things that can impact management, making it extremely difficult.  Therefore, there is a constant worry about whether or not you’re doing things right or wrong.  Constant worry on the consequences of getting it wrong.  The lurking low that you may have when you forget your low supplies.  The ketones you get when you have the flu and sends you into DKA.  Running out of insulin and not being able to get more fast enough.  Not sensing a low in the middle of the night.  Worry.  Worry.  Worry.

3. No Rhyme or Reason

In sync with the above two cons, there is no rhyme and reason to it.  Well, okay, maybe there is a little bit, but it’s not easy to master.  Managing it is no picnic.  Thank goodness for technology (CGMs…) to help.  But constantly guessing insulin dosages and how your body will respond...come on! I’m crossing my fingers it will get easier in adulthood and that most of this is related to hormones and adolescence.  As mentioned above, you could eat the same foods at the same time each day and exercise the same amount and at the same time each day and yet blood sugars would not be the same and insulin doses couldn’t remain the same.  Sometimes you just want to know for certain and not sense any doubt.

4. Expensive

ITS COSTS A LOT!!! First, start with the costs of prescriptions - you have insulin (and its rising costs highlighted in the media), needles or other supplies to administer the insulin, glucagon (think epi pen but for diabetics), glucometer, batteries for glucometer, test strips for glucometer, alcohol wipes to clean skin surfaces, lancing device, lancets, pump if using, pump supplies (insets, tubing, cartridges), CGM, CGM supplies...Just to name a few!  Then you need ways to store all that.  Home storage, travel storage (remember insulin and test strips have to be kept at a certain temperature).  Bags and packs - big but also small to fit in bigger bags.  Let’s not forget about decorating all the above too, decals, patches, etc.  And food.  Low supplies - skittles, glucose tabs, glucose gels.  And sustaining snacks to eat once low is treated.  Constantly stocking these foods and having extras in cars, classrooms, offices, etc.  Then let’s add the doctor expenses to it...the office co-pays, the bill backs, the ER visits...specialists are not cheap!  Which then brings us to insurance, susceptible to higher premiums, higher deductibles, excluded coverage.  It’s almost an entire paycheck on its own.

5. It Sucks

There’s no good way to put this - it just sucks.  Not just sometimes, all the times.  It’s not fair.  

BUT here are 5 Pros to Type 1

1. Math Skills

Yep, math may not have been a strength before but now you’re working carb ratios and divisions and addition calculating dosages like a pro.  Short term and long term calculations.  Averages on dosing and blood sugars.  How many meals can I get out of what’s left in this insulin pen?  Got it!

2. Discipline

It forces you to become disciplined in self care and health management.  You don’t have a choice, the alternative is dying.  You manage how you self care and manage type 1 but it is all tied back to self discipline and this skill can carry over into other areas of your life.  

3. Gives a New Perspective

Tied with discipline, it can give you a new perspective on life and life’s moments.  You appreciate small things and special moments more knowing what you no longer can take for granted.  You learn to live your life in a completely different way yet doing the same things.

4. Community

There is a community that is like family.  The bond that holds you all together is so strong.  You are never alone, even though you always feel that way. You spot a fellow pumper in public and you are thrilled and excited to find another like you.  There is a happiness when you all convene even though you often discuss the hardships associated with T1D.  

5. Strength

​There is no denying the strength that is involved in the day to day management.  The perseverance and continuing to push oneself to further greatness.  To not let it get in your way from doing anything it is that you want to do.  To master the care and management in addition to the other skills and tasks you need to master to find your success.  To know that when you stand next to a non type 1, you are doing more than them because you are also working as a pancreas when their’s works on its own.  It takes great strength to continue everyday.  To find that constant motivation, to accept it.